words. "So, the good part is that the groomsmen will all be standing up at the front, so we don't have to worry about DJ tripping over himself."
DJ flipped Brian off.
Ryan wondered how long DJ had been blind, and how come everyone but he seemed to know about it. Of course, no one but DJ knew what the two of them had been to each other in college, so it wasn't like they'd have especially thought of him in connection to DJ.
The rest of the rehearsal went on in a fairly business-like manner, Brian saying more than once that he just wanted to get through this so they could get to the rehearsal dinner already and toss a few back.
Ryan found himself spending most of his time watching DJ.
The man was really with it, careful, quiet, but always smiling, always listening.
Derek came up when it was over and gave him a man hug. "Hey, dude. Creepy, huh?"
"What, the whole wedding thing?" Because Ryan wasn't going to comment on DJ being blind, not when he was still so gobsmacked about it.
"God, yes. Brian's like a puppy."
Joining them, Will snorted. "Wait until it's you. Riana and me--we were stupid at first."
"Yeah, but he's always been like a puppy." As Brian's college friends standing up with him at the wedding, it was their job to tease the shit out of him, right?
"Woof woof." Derek grinned, nodded. "I swear, I'd heard about DJ, but I didn't get it until I saw him."
"Nobody bothered to let me know." Ryan reminded himself again that no one but DJ knew they'd been an item. Hell, he still wasn't out. And God knew he and DJ hadn't parted on the best of terms, him refusing to come out, DJ refusing to keep lying.
"I heard from Will." Derek pointed at the man.
Will shrugged. "I knew you two weren't friends anymore. Hell, it's been going on a long time, I guess."
"That's gotta suck." He couldn't imagine going through it himself. Shit, he couldn't imagine his DJ going through it, either. He found himself looking for the man.
DJ was sitting in the front row, by himself. Well, the dog was there.
"Hey, Willie, Derek, see you guys at the restaurant, okay?" Ryan clapped them on the back and went over to DJ. He couldn't not go.
DJ's head tilted as he got closer. "Derek?"
"No, man. It's Ryan." He moved to stand next to DJ. "Can I sit?"
"Absolutely. I'm supposed to ride with Derek to the restaurant. He hasn't left, has he?"
Ryan turned, just catching Derek on his way out with Will. "Yeah. I guess he figured I'd take you. Which I will." He sat next to DJ, feeling the man's warmth.
"Oh. Well, thank you. I'm sorry."
"It's all right, I'm heading that way anyway." And how weird was this? Weirder because DJ was blind. Blind. Shit, he still couldn't quite believe it.
"Toronto, huh?" DJ asked. At least one of them wasn't tongue-tied. "Where were you flying from?"
"Vancouver. You?"
DJ nodded. "I live on the West End, near Davie Village."
"You what? Shit, we're nearly neighbors." That was something else.
"Yeah? I moved there...three years ago? Once things started getting harder."
"What happened?" He supposed that was the question he really wanted to know first.
"It's genetic." DJ shrugged. "They thought that I'd missed it, but I was in trouble by the time I was in my mid-twenties. I can see light and dark now, but that'll be done in a year or two."
"Jesus. That's...it sucks." He put his hand on DJ's knee, his instinct to comfort.
"Yeah. I wish I'd have known earlier. I would have looked at more things." DJ's leg jerked a little under his touch.
Ryan took his hand away awkwardly. "I can't imagine what it must be like."
"I have a good life. What about you? Are you married? Happy?"
"Married? Me?" He laughed, though it was a little bitter. He was gay and in the closet. No, he wasn't married. He didn't suppose he ever would be. "There's never been anyone else." He hadn't meant to say that, but it was too late to take the words back.
"Oh." DJ's head tilted. "I'm sorry to hear that. You should know, I'm out. Like completely out. If you
DJ flipped Brian off.
Ryan wondered how long DJ had been blind, and how come everyone but he seemed to know about it. Of course, no one but DJ knew what the two of them had been to each other in college, so it wasn't like they'd have especially thought of him in connection to DJ.
The rest of the rehearsal went on in a fairly business-like manner, Brian saying more than once that he just wanted to get through this so they could get to the rehearsal dinner already and toss a few back.
Ryan found himself spending most of his time watching DJ.
The man was really with it, careful, quiet, but always smiling, always listening.
Derek came up when it was over and gave him a man hug. "Hey, dude. Creepy, huh?"
"What, the whole wedding thing?" Because Ryan wasn't going to comment on DJ being blind, not when he was still so gobsmacked about it.
"God, yes. Brian's like a puppy."
Joining them, Will snorted. "Wait until it's you. Riana and me--we were stupid at first."
"Yeah, but he's always been like a puppy." As Brian's college friends standing up with him at the wedding, it was their job to tease the shit out of him, right?
"Woof woof." Derek grinned, nodded. "I swear, I'd heard about DJ, but I didn't get it until I saw him."
"Nobody bothered to let me know." Ryan reminded himself again that no one but DJ knew they'd been an item. Hell, he still wasn't out. And God knew he and DJ hadn't parted on the best of terms, him refusing to come out, DJ refusing to keep lying.
"I heard from Will." Derek pointed at the man.
Will shrugged. "I knew you two weren't friends anymore. Hell, it's been going on a long time, I guess."
"That's gotta suck." He couldn't imagine going through it himself. Shit, he couldn't imagine his DJ going through it, either. He found himself looking for the man.
DJ was sitting in the front row, by himself. Well, the dog was there.
"Hey, Willie, Derek, see you guys at the restaurant, okay?" Ryan clapped them on the back and went over to DJ. He couldn't not go.
DJ's head tilted as he got closer. "Derek?"
"No, man. It's Ryan." He moved to stand next to DJ. "Can I sit?"
"Absolutely. I'm supposed to ride with Derek to the restaurant. He hasn't left, has he?"
Ryan turned, just catching Derek on his way out with Will. "Yeah. I guess he figured I'd take you. Which I will." He sat next to DJ, feeling the man's warmth.
"Oh. Well, thank you. I'm sorry."
"It's all right, I'm heading that way anyway." And how weird was this? Weirder because DJ was blind. Blind. Shit, he still couldn't quite believe it.
"Toronto, huh?" DJ asked. At least one of them wasn't tongue-tied. "Where were you flying from?"
"Vancouver. You?"
DJ nodded. "I live on the West End, near Davie Village."
"You what? Shit, we're nearly neighbors." That was something else.
"Yeah? I moved there...three years ago? Once things started getting harder."
"What happened?" He supposed that was the question he really wanted to know first.
"It's genetic." DJ shrugged. "They thought that I'd missed it, but I was in trouble by the time I was in my mid-twenties. I can see light and dark now, but that'll be done in a year or two."
"Jesus. That's...it sucks." He put his hand on DJ's knee, his instinct to comfort.
"Yeah. I wish I'd have known earlier. I would have looked at more things." DJ's leg jerked a little under his touch.
Ryan took his hand away awkwardly. "I can't imagine what it must be like."
"I have a good life. What about you? Are you married? Happy?"
"Married? Me?" He laughed, though it was a little bitter. He was gay and in the closet. No, he wasn't married. He didn't suppose he ever would be. "There's never been anyone else." He hadn't meant to say that, but it was too late to take the words back.
"Oh." DJ's head tilted. "I'm sorry to hear that. You should know, I'm out. Like completely out. If you
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